It was just last week that Dell's former "addiction" to Intel processors -- a.k.a. Intel doing everything it could to make Dell not sell systems with AMD chips -- resurfaced. Well, times have changed, and now you can find AMD processors in a small number of the company's desktops and laptops. The latest is the Inspiron M101z.

This budget laptop is currently being offered in the UK with two different AMD Neo CPU options: a 1.7GHz single-core Athlon II K125 or a dual-core 1.3GHz Athlon K325. The 11.6-inch notebook also comes with 2GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive, runs Windows 7 Home Premium, and packs ATI RS880M integrated graphics. Dell claims a typical battery life of 6.5 hours, and it's available in blue, pink, and red lid colors in addition to basic black.

Pricing and availability for the US has not been announced, but the single-core model works out to about $587 and the dual-core one costs roughly $664.

Sean Portnoy started his tech writing career at ZDNet nearly a decade ago. He then spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. He received a B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. from the University of Southern California.

Disclosure

Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist; currently, all work that Sean does is on a contractural basis. Sean has also written corporate communications documents for CA.Sean does not accept gifts from companies he covers. All hardware products he writes about are purchased with his own funds or are review units covered under formal loan agreements and are returned after the review is complete.